Interview With Liquideep!!

After a month of trying to get a chance to interview popular group, Liquideep, I dropped everything I was doing when I finally got a call from them inviting me to Cresta Mall for an interview. When I got to our meeting spot, I was welcomed by teams of media people queuing patiently with their video cameras waiting for their turn to interview Liquideep. I too joined the queue, too easy a task for someone who plays LOTTO like I do. So when my turn came, the guys that were to do their interview after mine started flashing their business cards telling me they were from BBC what what, asking if they could do their interview first as they were in a hurry. To which I refused for the simple reason that the paper they were flashing didn’t have any of the Big 5 animals on it, mxim cheap skates.

This was to be one of my first group interviews and I didn’t really know how to conduct it, you know, who to talk to and stuff like that. Luckily, Zyon the vocalist of the songs is also a voice in their interviews, he jumped to almost every question I asked, making my life a lot easier.

Zyon (left) and Ryzor (right)

Also, the interview is a bit long… please don’t get tired of reading, just be glad its not Skwatta Kamp. Here we go:

Cedrick: Liquideep, who are you guys?

Zyon: Liquideep is Zyon and Razor two guys who met in 2006, started the group Liquideep in 2007.

Cedrick: Are you guy’s friends or just business partners? Tell us about your partnership.

Ryzor: Yes we are friends; we’ve been friends since 2006, before Liquideep was started. We first became friends before business partners.

Cedrick: How did you get into music?

Zyon: I’ve always been into music for as long as I can remember, but I started professionally when I was 19. It was then that I realized that it was always something I wanted to do and I was already in those circles so I just took it seriously and went ahead and did it. In the country I started producing for people in 2001, I produced for a lady called Swazi Dhlamini, did one track with Gloria Bosman, worked with Loyiso Bala and a couple of other artists. As Liquideep we are involved in TV work as well but more in the background.

Cedrick: Zyon where did you get that foreign accent?

Zyon: I’m originally from the states, I came to South Africa for the first time in 1997, and I have been coming here every year since then until I officially moved here in 2004.

Cedrick: And you Ryzor?

Ryzor: I was born in Alex, but grew up in Limpopo then moved back to Alex when I was older.

Cedrick: What are some of the things you had to compromise to get in the industry?

Zyon: That’s a very good question; I don’t think we’ve ever had that question before. We really didn’t have to compromise. Luckily we stayed true to what we loved to do, like, everything just fell into place. Even some of the disappointments that we saw at the time when we look back, they were actually things that were protecting us. I can look back and say I don’t think we compromised ourselves. We’ve made mistakes but I don’t think we compromised.

Cedrick: Nice. Who are some of the people that helped you get into music?

Ryzor: I was working closely with Thulani (The warrior), he’s the guy that I still look up to as a DJ. This is the guy that approached me when they started a recording label BBB Music requesting for a track for an album they were working on.

Cedrick: How did you guys manage to make sure that you were bringing a new sound?

Zyon: We didn’t think about it, what we did what we love, that’s all we. When we first started we had a specific direction and I think musical taste in regard to what we thought Liquideep would put out. After we started seeing some bit of success we started realizing that music is bigger than the genre, even our taste is bigger than the genre, it shouldn’t be boxed in. Music is about the people, not about us. I heard from a friend of mine that he had a friend of his that passed away and at his funeral they played Fairytale because it was his favorite song before he died.

(Ryzor chirps in )

Ryzor: Like today, we heard a story from one lady who spoke about one of the songs on our current album; apparently this song motivated someone out of a stage where he was to give up on life. When you hear stories like that, you realize that it’s not always about you.

Cedrick: That’s powerful. Who would you guys like to work with in the future?

Zyon: I like Bucie, I love her voice. I LOVE HER VOICE. Please get that right.

Ryzor: I like Zonke, Blackcoffee and Kelly Khumalo, she has a beautiful voice.

Cedrick: And a beautiful body too.

Zyon: Not even hot but, she’s hot but like, she’s got a brilliant voice like I’ve heard her sing accapela before and she has a powerful voice.

Cedrick: Hahaha, I’ll get that right too.

You guys have a new album out now, with two hit songs flooding the radio, Alone and BBM, can you please explain to us the motivation behind the BBM song.

Zyon: BBM, I wrote it maybe 3 to four months after I bought my BlackBerry and you know with BB it shows on BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) which song the person you are chatting to is playing. So it just came basically from that. I’d be chatting to uhhm lol, certain people and I noticed that they were playing some of our tracks, most of the time Fairytale. And that used to tickle me, I’d be like wow I’m chatting to them and they’re listening to our track, so yeah, that’s where the track came from

Cedrick: Fairytale sold very well on the digital market, did you guys get into the industry with plans to focus more also on digital sales as opposed to just CD copies?

Zyon: We are only learning now how powerful the digital world is.

Ryzor: Most of the songs that I play as a DJ; I buy them on the net. And that’s what most DJ’s out there do. We didn’t suss out that the public is actually that much into digital downloads.

Cedrick: You won two Metro FM awards, one of them is for the most digital download, two talented guys, two awards, two albums, less than two years. What does this mean for Liquideep?

Zyon: We just put out our second album; it went gold in October, won 3 awards already, two Metros and one Channel O award. We are going to the MAMAs next month. Next year, we want to get more into production for other people. We have kind of started doing that, we have made a song for Theo Kgosinkwe, and a lady called Jae, we did five tracks on her new released album. Maybe also identifying talent and grooming young talent.

Cedrick: Who inspires you?

Zyon: My father inspires me a lot, well my step father. He inspires me because he’s been in the industry himself for over 22 years and he’s done nothing but music full time. When you have someone like that close to you, it inspires you to do the same thing. If I didn’t see how he lived his life, I don’t think I’d be here now.

Ryzor: I get inspiration from people like Black Coffee for a whole lot of reasons, from the way he conducts himself, the music he does, the charity initiatives that he gets himself involved in, to name just a few. And when you meet him as well you just get that thing that makes you feel special. I mean I finally met him this year and before meeting him I was jumping around telling Zion how happy I was.

Cedrick: Whoa, are you talking about that groupie excitement?

Ryzor: Yeah that, like I just met L’vovo now and I failed to hold back the excitement. We are people too man, we also have people that we look up to.

Cedrick: Wow, I feel less embarrassed about my groupie tendencies.

Zyon: If somebody inspires you, its infectious, you are just drawn to them, no matter who you are if you are a person you get affected by that.

Cedrick: Very true. Who do you think is your competition?

Zyon: I think we are all each other’s competition. But we don’t look at it that way, what I love about the industry now is everybody has their own style and voice. And when we meet with other guys, all we talk about is plans of working together, exchanging music etc, so there’s no competition.

Cedrick: In terms of music direction, what’s the difference between the first and second album?

Zyon: The first album will always be special to me just because it was the first one, and there are a lot of good songs on that album. But with Fabric of the Heart (second album) our sound became more matured and we explored sound and writing a bit more, I think this album is a bit better rounded as well.

Cedrick: Being new in the industry, how are guys planning to not be in the tabloids for the wrong reasons?

Ryzor: Maybe you should advice us on what we should do to stay out of the tabloids as someone who is in the media.

Cedrick: I can’t do that; they would disown me if I did.

Zyon: You know in the beginning we got bitten by the fame bug and all we wanted was to have parties and have fun. I have my time but right now, I’m into performing, doing my job and leaving. I think that’s the best way to keep business and personal space as much separate as possible.

Ryzor: I’m still the same person I was before the fame, and if what I was doing before the fame would put me in the papers then I don’t know.

Cedrick: Talking about things that you have done before the fame, I think the best thing to do is to bring them in the open before the tabloids start digging, and you use interviews like this for that purpose. Free the skeletons in the closet already.

(This questions evokes a mini toyi toyi)

Zyon: OH NO NO NO. We don’t do that because I know y’all just need to sell, you’re not really trying to help us.

Cedrick: That is not entirely true.

Zyon: More so than anything. Like I said, I keep my business and personal life separate. And if there are people who know my past, that’s who I talk to about it. I’m not going to talk to somebody I just met, who has a certain impression or a certain opinion about me.

Cedrick: And that person is me?

Zyon: Yeah

Cedrick: Tjo, I’m liking you guys a lot less than I did before I met you, I still love your music though.

Zyon: Then our purpose is being done very well if you still love our music.

Cedrick: Double CAPITAL letter TJO!!!

Zyon: No but seriously you got to be careful, if we were to exchange roles, there are probably some things that you did that you wouldn’t want me to know.

Cedrick: Of course there is, let’s not even go there. How has fame changed your life?

Zyon: Our friends and families are proud of us; there are things I bought because of music. On the flipside we can’t really go out in public spaces like we used to. Being famous you become, almost like public property, everybody just feels like they are entitled to your time. You have to make sure that we are more accommodating, you know when somebody wants your time, and they want it now.

Cedrick: Oh I see. How do you handle criticism?

Ryzor: Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and my philosophy is that, if I see that a person is perhaps advising us on trying to change something, I take it as such but if otherwise, I just let them be. Why waste energy on things that you can’t control.

Cedrick: Mhhh ok. Have you guys made enemies yet?

Zyon: Well maybe, you know with this industry, you can never really know because unlike with hip hop we don’t go around say yoh I have beef with that one there. So we could, I’m sure not everybody out there is not friends with me, but we are not in the industry to make friends. We are here to make music and change people’s lives. But if we make friends along the way, it’s cool.

Cedrick: Anything that was ever said about you guys that hurt you because it wasn’t true?

Ryzor: There are things that I heard that are not correct, but yah.

Cedrick: Keep talking.

Ryzor: Why should I waste time telling you cos they’re not correct?

Cedrick: Well maybe just to clarify just so people know the truth.

Ryzor: Nah you go dig yourself, I’m not going to tell you.

Cedrick: Tjo ok then. How old are you guys?

Zyon: I’m 30.

Ryzor: I’m 31.

Cedrick: Wow, y’all are still young. Any pair of Jezabels out there?

Zyon: Hahahaha no, we don’t run our lives like that. I have my time; there are much more important things than what comes with the industry. Like now I’m more interested into building a good family, and I don’t have that right now, what I have is my mother, my father and sister. No Jezabels.

Cedrick: So I can tell the ladies you are available?

Zyon: No that’s not what I said; all I said was there are no Jezabels. I’d never even want to be close to one.

Cedrick: Let me rephrase then, are you guys dating?

Ryzor: Music can at times be viewed as a fairytale, like a wishy thing, so sometimes it’s better not to tell people the truth cos they end up thinking this thing is not available, in which case they lose interest especially the ladies. So rather let them think what they want.

Cedrick: Wow, Tuks Senganga gave the same answer; did you guys go to the same school of music or what lol. Please tell me about your partnership with Love Life.

Zyon: It started with a song we did back in the days called Live Your Life, we approached them and asked to work with them. And as you may have seen earlier, we just performed here at Cresta Mall for free.

Cedrick: You guys approached Love Life, impressive stuff. Are you guys working on any other charity projects?

Ryzor: Yes we are, too many to mention.

Cedrick: Thank you a lot for your time. Keep doing the great work out there.

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Comments

69 Comments on "Interview With Liquideep!!"

Zida on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 1:19 am

Lovely interview Cedrick. I liked how you probed with your questions and they opened up where it was necessary and didn’t when it was not. It’s good that they know their story and are focused on what they are here to give us, the music.

I’m so in love with Fabrics Of The Heart….I play it from start to finish without skipping any song….well done guys.

Anyway, kwaaaa @ you wanting the BBC guys to pay you to go first.

Kwaaaa @ Kelly being not hot, but like hot…..

There is something about Ziyon….maybe it’s that John Legend sounding voice of his when he sings. maybe it’s the height. Maybe it’s the way he dresses and looks…there is nothing sexier than a man who looks clean and dresses smartly….especially in a suit. *swoons*

They seem to have done quite a bit. I love Jae, she’s got such a sweet voice. Love Gloria too, one of the best voices in South Africa.

posh on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 6:16 am

Great interview…ohh Zida that’s what I’ve been thinking that the quality of Zion’s voice is at the level of the likes of John Legend and Kenny Latimore…such a fine voice..

Their CD would make a great Xmas gift, it is very hard not to like it. from start to finish it rocks..track no 4 when its starts….hahhahh

My gals and I played and replayed it on our recent road trip and all four of them vowed to go buy the CD

I both of them, they look like humble and hard working guys…hope they stay tight like that for a long time…

ok, where’s Oprah to make my dream come true…I would like Zion to sing fairytale to me, live! you know those stage moments when an artist call to the stage one of the audience members, a ‘pretty’ lady and sings to her….yessss that..

posh on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 6:18 am

I LIKE both of them…

SilentBloggar on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 7:12 am

I love, love, love LiquiDeep, they must keep making the nice music. Very very nice interview Cedric, the flow, the way you ask questions, the light hearted moments. At first I didn’t understand this: ‘then I saw the papers they were having didn’t have any pictures of the big 5′ Ha ha I laughed when I realised you wanted a bribe.

Polly on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 7:24 am

Great interview Ced *clapping hands*

Also, the interview is a bit long… please don’t get tired of reading, just be glad its not Skwatta Kamp. Lol

I’m not going to talk to somebody I just met, who has a certain impression or a certain opinion about me.

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Cedrick and ? Afrika Lu Gola ? , Odette Krempin. Odette Krempin said: Interview With Liquideep!! | Just Curious: Zyon: I'm originally from the states, I came to South Africa for the … http://bit.ly/fI5cpC [...]

krabzzy on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 9:24 am

nice one! still cracking at the Big 5, only got it now! *hides*

so they’re basically telling us they’re in relationships by saying that is something they can’t reveal because if they do they will lose sales? i mean, if they were single, they would say, “yes, I’m single”. I know Ryzor has a wife and a baby. Ziyon, well I think he’s still fooling around with the jezabels of the world until he finds one who isn’t after the Big 5

Polly on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 9:27 am

#Death by I dont know hwy they hiding if they taken or not….I know Ryzor recently got married (not a big loss anyways)kwakwakwaaaaaaaaa

I hate how these artists ba etsang e kare women are brainless bimbos who buy music only coz the guys are single, I mean really now. Most of the times it’s the not so hot guys who would say that, mxim!

Nice interview by the way, I love how honest they are with their answers. I also had a lot of Tjo moments when I read the piece.

Lustagp on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 11:02 am

lol @Buhleb..i love the -recat though ahhahah

Nice interview, and love these guys teh sure know why they are here.

MaCMash on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 11:05 am

Fruitcake I was waiting for someone to tackle that point cos when Tuks gave the same answer, he was brutally attacked by women who were offended

SilentBloggar on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 11:33 am

Thanks @Fruitcake, I also don’t understand their point about female fans. I mean who goes around thinking a male celebrity is single, single. Who goes to Musica or Look&Listen thinking: This one is single so I’mma buy this CD, This one is married so I’m not buying. Hayi they need to go back and do their market research. I would still buy a CD regardless of an artist’s marital status, really women are not that silly.

Lustagp on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 11:49 am

Ladies the ‘mxit kids’, ‘jezabels’, the likes of the iintersexions gal and some of the teens who throw themselves kwezi guys when they meet them.
They ONLY buy their music with the hope of scoring these guys so when they say they are single they are referrign kubo hayi kuni.
so chill the is nothign wrOng ngesa-satment tu,
the are girls who dont sleep, they stalk AND make sure they hunt celeb males just for sex behind the stage ask bo-JOZI, Skwatta kamps etc..

Polly on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 11:53 am

SilentBloggar & Fruitcake…just like y’all, I will never understand what some male artists take women for. This perception ya gore women won’t support their music if they know about their marital status is just absolute nonsense!!

I dont even know where that rationale comes from. We, okay I love their music and I could not care less what they do outside of music. I did not even know their names, I just refer to them as the tall and short guy of liquid-deep. I would be very disappointed if most guys in the industry has that perception.

Polly on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 11:57 am

@Lusta…I am a women & that “statement” or whatever it is they are saying about WOMEN is kind of offensive.

@Lustagp said:
“the are girls who dont sleep, they stalk AND make sure they hunt celeb males just for sex behind the stage ask bo-JOZI, Skwatta kamps etc..”

Those type of girls wont even care whether the guy is married or not coz like you said; they just want a shag so nothing would deter them.

Lustagp on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 12:03 pm

@Polly i promise you if that statement offends you it is not intended for you, there are groupies that do this and they certainly not offended instead they are ready to throw tehir panties kwezi guys anytime soon.
i have seen this even back home in EL where school girls buy these guys CD’S and when the are shows they want them to be autographed personally and they end up being fucked in their cars, backstage or hotels.
That is happening and i am sure these guys are referring to those kind of girls.

Polly on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 12:06 pm

“Those type of girls wont even care whether the guy is married or not coz like you said; they just want a shag so nothing would deter them”….DITTO Fruitcake

Lustagp on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 12:06 pm

but Fruitcake they are more appealling when they dont know about their realationship status’s that is a fact dear. For them (cheap girls)the shag is a ticket to these guys hearts. i amnot sayign thsi muts not offend you guys but i am sure that satement is based form these scenarios.

Lady Guava on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 12:06 pm

I don’t know why, but i find Liquid Deep’s music very monotonous, like A N G E L having the same beat as Fairytale. Just like we complain ka the Durban Boys, i feel Liquid Deep are on the same path…. Anyway, i’m glad there’s a different sound out there (albeit samey).

Whatever happened to the rumours about uLiquidZyon and the generations star (is it former already)….maybe that explains why there are no Jezebels in the picture….Zida, spill girl…i know you know these things.

Lady Guava on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 12:16 pm

I find Liquideep’s sound wvery monotonous, just like i find the Durban’s Big 5…lol…anyway i’m glad there’s a different (albeit samey) sound out there. The seem like decent guys, loved their honesty.

Whatever happened to the rumour ya LiquidZyon and the generations star (or is it former gen. star)? Maybe that explains why he says there are no Jezebels in the picture.
Zida, spill gal, this is right up your ally, ama expose’ that is.

Polly on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 12:20 pm

To all the artists who think that we wont support their music because of your marital status…GET A LIFE & do what you think you are best at- music.

I for one dont give a rat’s arse if you are married, single, divorced or a male version of jezabel…i want good music #that’s all.

Bhubezi on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 12:27 pm

Never heard a song with such beautiful lyrics(FAIRYTALE)Everytime I hear it my face lights up as if they are singing it for me*blush* ….me say KEEP IT UP LIQUIDEEP!!!!

Awu aniyeke uMandoza bantu, English is not his 1st language and he didnt go to a multi racial school. Islungu sihlula abelungu Im telling u.

krabzzy on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 1:24 pm

i would want to know where all the weight has gone to. he mustn’t tell me about stress cause I know the answer to that one

Ivy on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 1:28 pm

So what if Mandoza’s English is not up to scratch. How many worthy contracts has he signed with his broken English?? A LOT. We sit here trying to perfect other peoples’ english whilst they are busy making money. English doesn’t make the world go round.

Thanks Ced, i really love their music.i can see that many of them don’t want to tell us if they are taken or what,i think they are afraid of loosing the support if they can tell us gore they are taken.to round it up ur doing gr8 job motswala.

MaCMash on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 6:26 pm

I got you Benzo.

Lela on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 8:32 pm

Nice one Ced,couldn’t help laughing out loud just thinking about you and Ganyane at the awards,I’m sure next award you’ll be proud to go and accept your award. As for their relationship statuses,bamuncu if they think women buy music by single guys,Theo is happily married and women love him and buy his music same as Mandoza,Oskido etc. After all aba bawinwayo don’t even buy their music bafuna nje ukhwelwa qha.

Makgotso on Thu, 9th Dec 2010 10:59 pm

love their music to bit eish lendaba yestatus iyangicabukisa I dont give a rat about their , so they must relax. anyway #singing – you don’t have to be alone , alone, alone, alone

Oh by the way i think these guys knows what they talking about when they say women turn to loose interest once they know about the relationship status. There r women who r shallow like that out there.@ Fruitcake and co if what these guys said offend u then u clearly not the type of those(shallow) women um talking about. Otherwize what LD’s talking about its not far fetched. U guys must watch uEllen, whenever she asks a celebrity guy whether or not he is involved and u must notice how happy women gets when he says he is single. What do u xplain that?

Bee10 on Fri, 10th Dec 2010 1:33 am

Sorry Krabzzy for misspelling yo name.

I only love the song Angel& Alone. Um not really a house music fanatic.

krabzzy on Fri, 10th Dec 2010 9:08 am

ey guys, where’s your sense of humour?
I’m not dissing Mandoza’s english, or lack thereof rather, but I crack at how he insists on speaking isGeorge. English isn’t his mother tongue mara naye ke angafosti!
oh one last thing he also said was that he has been a solo album for the past ten years. kwaaaakwaaaa, i think he meant solo artist.

maddie on Tue, 14th Dec 2010 1:59 pm

i’v been wanting 2 register on this site for long, am from TVSA and still a member and I love this site.

Mokone nice interview

I concur with other bloggers about the marital status issue and 1 blogger defended them and said they’re referring to the mxit, jezebel kinda ladies and if that is true den y would they care so much about this market and feel the need to even apease them

[...] told the Just Curious website: “I’ve always been into music for as long as I can remember, but I started [...]

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